How to choose speakers for your computer ?


Multimedia speakers, the choice for computers 

 

Top of the range multimedia loudspeakers 

The special feature of multimedia loudspeakers is that they take up very little space, which means that they can sit on a desk, on either side of a computer (Mac or PC). Good multimedia loudspeakers will feature the same characteristics as good classic loudspeakers (quality of the speakers, crossovers, housing, etc.). To relay quality music and sound, speakers need to receive an amplified signal. As a standard computer is not capable of providing a good quality amplified signal, top of the range multimedia kits propose amplification solutions incorporated into the loudspeakers. All you have to do is connect the kit to the mains and the computer to get the system working!

Bespoke loudspeakers

Focal’s core business is speaker design and manufacture. While most other multimedia solutions propose a selection of different speakers available on the market that meet the designer’s requirements to a greater or lesser extent, Focal uses its skills and expertise to design and create the ideal speaker tailored to the system under development.

Sound card & digital data 

Sound card definition & role

The sound card is an indispensable component for playing music on a computer (Mac or PC). It plays an essential role in sound reproduction quality as it transforms digital data (your music files) into analogue signals transmitted to your multimedia loudspeakers. Generally, sound cards are integrated into computers. These types of cards are often of modest quality, their objective not necessarily being to play high fidelity…. Focal XS has opted for quality.

An integrated sound card

To propose a simple solution with guaranteed remarkable sound quality, we have incorporated a top of the range sound card into the Focal XS. The Focal kit is connected to a computer (Mac or PC) via a USB port (rather than using a mini jack socket like most multimedia loudspeakers). This enables the Focal XS to capture your sound data at source, transform, amplify and transmit it to the speakers. 

Compressed music

The other key feature of multimedia loudspeakers is the quality of the signal and the sound source (multimedia file). A good loudspeaker will not express its full potential in MP3-type compressed music use. MP3 involves destructive compression, i.e. in order to obtain a lighter audio file, which is easier to store on a hard disk or a player, information is deleted. It is possible to delete all the information that Man is not supposed to hear: frequencies that are too low and too high, or those of an overly low sound level. Once this information has been deleted, it is impossible to retrieve.

There are several types of compression featuring varying degrees of destructiveness. With standard multimedia kits, you will not necessarily hear the difference. With a top of the range kit such as the Focal XS 2.1 kit, it is easy to hear the difference between a compressed and non-compressed source.

Storage & liquid music...

Computer (hard disk) and multimedia storage capacities are becoming increasingly high capacity. Nowadays, it is possible to store and use non-compressed music easily. Internet connections are offering increasingly greater speeds. This opens the door to other (legal) types of music consumption such as streaming, which involves listening to a continuous flow of music on a computer connected to the Internet network. The music is not stored on the hard disk. Downloading websites now propose LossLess (non-compressed) versions of nearly all their catalogue.


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